Silence Read as Yes
by artemis-nz
Summary: Friends would be pushing it, but Kaiba reads the silence as yes anyway. Kaiba/Joey.
1. Chapter 1

When Seto Kaiba found Joey slumped against a wall, looking altogether too defeated for such a loud-mouthed and gutsy ex-street punk, his eyes narrowed in a way that would have been familiar to anyone who had known him long enough.

"Hey. Get up."

Joey opened his eyes. His throat was too sore and dry to speak at that moment, but his own eyes showed his displeasure at being found in such a state, especially by someone such as Kaiba. To say they were enemies would have been wrong. Rivals would not have been quite true either, and to say they were friends would certainly have been pushing it. They had grown to understand one another - at least a little - but by no means were comfortable in each others' company. Joey glared right back, the sharp sting of being seen by Kaiba at a weak point playing on his mind.

"Don't tell me you don't have the strength to at least get up."

Joey clenched his teeth. If he could have spoken, he might have insulted Kaiba right then and there. Any communication they had had was not enough for him to actually place any real trust in Kaiba at all. Still, if he truly expected the CEO to kick him while he was down, Joey was wrong.

"Come on, then", said Kaiba again, deadpan. "Get up, if you can. Prove to me you're not worthless."

Joey got up. Kaiba stopped glaring. When Joey looked like he might topple right back over into the dust again, Kaiba grabbed him by the shoulder and ignored Joey's expression; anger, pain, mistrust, hope, somehow all rolled into one.

"Kaiba-"

"Shut up, talking costs energy. And time, which I don't give easily. You should feel grateful that I gave it to you. Even if you did have to get beaten up to get it." Kaiba's mouth twitched upwards. Once upon a time and not so very long ago, Joey would have loathed that self-satisfied expression. Now, he recognized it as Kaiba's off-beat sense of humor. He didn't pull away as Kaiba led him to a sleek black car parked just beyond the alleyway, only resisted for a split-second as the door was opened and he was pushed into it.

"You'll be late for school as well", said Joey roughly, massaging his throat as his voice slowly came back to him.

Kaiba made a contemptuous noise in the back of his throat. "We're not going to school, idiot. A day off doesn't matter to me. I'll see that it doesn't matter to you either, if that's what you're so worried about."

"So where we going then?"

"My house."

Kaiba didn't have a driver, and the car was a perfectly ordinary one apart from looking immaculately clean both inside and out. Joey felt a little foolish as he tried to banish from his mind the images he had conjured up from the first; dark limousines with tinted windows, a driver in a stiff black suit and tie, other cars making way for him on the road he was so god-dammed majestic...

Kaiba drove like any other person, not saying a word to Joey but picking up his cellphone somewhere on the way, delivering precise instructions to whoever was on the other end. Joey never caught who it was, but when he opened his eyes again the car was being parked outside what could only be called a mansion (although again, as Kaiba led Joey inside the blonde was forced to banish his thoughts of maids and butlers bowing and scraping as Kaiba walked past). As of yet, Joey had seen nobody at all besides Kaiba himself.

Joey was led unceremoniously into a small, simple room which contained only a bed, a chest of drawers and a bookshelf. Here, finally, was someone official-looking. A tall man, he wore regular clothes but nonetheless had an air of professional confidence about him as he stooped down to inspect Joey, who had been dumped abruptly on the bed by Kaiba.

"No need to be so rough, Mr. Kaiba, surely", said the man.

Joey half expected Kaiba to fire the man on the spot. But the CEO only shrugged. "He's tougher than he looks. Just do your job."

The man didn't bother to reply, but quickly put on a pair of thin plastic gloves. "Looks like you've had a rough morning, Mr...?"

"His name's Joey", Kaiba interjected before Joey could reply.

"I can speak for myself, Kaiba." The words would have once been said with a great deal more heat. As it was, they were perhaps said more out of habit than anything else.

The man raised his eyebrows. "Quite right", he said. "Mr. Kaiba, why don't you let me get on with things here. I'm sure Joey would like some privacy."

Kaiba didn't even argue, leaving the room without a word, and the tall man looked amused at Joey's surprise. "He's not such a villain as he would like everyone to think, you know", he commented. "I'm doctor Phillip Regan, by the way. Mr. Kaiba called me here to look you over. He said you had more than a few injuries he wanted me to treat. Just lie as still as you can please. I'll try to be as gentle as possible. Care to tell me what happened?"

Joey blinked at all the information coming at him at once. "I... er, got into a fight", he said. "That's it really."

"Oh? Quite a fight, then." The doctor's tone was inquiring, but Joey didn't care to say anything more and the doctor didn't ask. His hands were firm and cool as they darted over bruises on Joey's shoulders, arms and chest. Joey winced once as gloved hands passed over his left side, and the doctor stopped.

"It hurts more here?" he asked.

Joey nodded, and the doctor pressed just above and below the spot.

"And here?"

"Not as much."

The doctor scribbled down some hasty notes before resuming the inspection, making Joey roll over onto his right-hand side.

"I'm just going to take a look at your back, now. Try to keep still..."

The minutes passed slowly, Joey gritting his teeth and trying not to move, despite the pain it cost as the doctor pressed down, time and time again in order to check each and every injury. At some point Kaiba wandered back into the room. Joey didn't see him until the doctor prompted him to roll back over, and Kaiba was looking at him, expressionless. He was changed out of his uniform now, and Joey had to blink to make sure his eyes were seeing right. He had never seen Kaiba without a trenchcoat. It made Kaiba look smaller somehow - not diminished, not for a second - not with those icy blue eyes staring back at him. But had Joey not known Kaiba before, he would have been tempted to say Kaiba looked almost normal at that second, in spite of the way he held himself and stared, quiet and unblinking. Human. Just a little vulnerable. Of course, Kaiba probably would have hit him injuries and all if he had known what Joey was thinking, the blonde was sure.

He blinked again, and suddenly Kaiba was right in front of the bed in two quick strides. "Well?"

The doctor consulted his notes. "Numerous bruises both front and back, some more serious than others particularly on his left-hand side. Dislocated left shoulder, miraculously only one broken rib again on the left side, some cuts mostly superficial and he'll most likely be limping for a couple of days due to stress on the leg muscles. As far as I can tell from what limited knowledge I have, he's rather lucky to come back with only relatively minor damage. I would certainly not advise him to seek out such situations in the future, and he's not to put any stress at all on his body for the next couple of weeks. He won't need to go to hospital, and unless he actually wishes to I would also advise him to remain here, as the move would likely do more damage than good. I can provide all the treatment he needs without having to move him at all. If that's all right with you?" The doctor turned to Joey.

"Uh... sure. Whatever. I'm cool staying here."

"Good. That's settled then."

"Ahem. This is _my_ house."

"So it is." The doctor pointedly turned to Kaiba. He was taller than the teen, Joy noticed. "But I certainly hope, Mr. Kaiba, that you would not jeopardize my patient's well-being."

Joey gaped, never imagining that someone could talk to Kaiba in such a way and never paying the price for it. As it was, Kaiba only smirked in his trade-mark way.

"Right you are, doctor", he said ironically. "If you're done here, Sarah has prepared tea for you in the kitchen. You can leave."

The doctor smiled as if being talked to this way was an everyday occurrence (and it might have been as far as Joey knew). "I've left the notes for how best to treat the injuries", he said. "I believe you already have the needed medications. If there's anything else I can help with, please let me know. Mr. Kaiba." He nodded and left the room as calmly as he had spoken.

There was a short, somehow stunned silence -at least on Joey's part - before Kaiba turned to face him. "I need some coffee. Want some?"

Joey was beyond speaking. Kaiba took his silence for a yes and left.

_**To be continued.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Joey thrashed around in the bed, muttering things that Kaiba couldn't make out.

"Hey. Hey! Wake up!"

The voice in Joey's head grew more persistent, overpowering the others that clamoured for his attention, dragging him down so that his eyes remained rigidly shut. Still he didn't wake, but Kaiba heard him yell as he twisted onto his left side.

"I said _wake up!_"

Joey woke up with icy cold water dripping down his face and neck, and his eyes focused. Kaiba stood by the bed quite calmly, an empty glass in his hand.

"Kaiba! What the hell did you do?"

The CEO rolled his eyes. "What do you think? I threw some water over you."

"What the hell for?!"

"To wake you up, obviously. I might have hit you, but I think you're beaten up enough already", Kaiba shrugged. At Joey's outraged look, he continued, "Not my fault if you didn't listen to me. I _told_ you to wake up. Numerous times, in fact. It seems even in your sleep you can't take instructions."

Joey seethed, but there was nothing he could do. A certain numbness that had dampened the pain earlier in the day had disappeared, leaving him with a pain that throbbed fiercely; hottest on his side but which also spread seemingly everywhere.

"I hate you, Kaiba", he said, his only way to show how he felt.

"Don't be ridiculous", said Kaiba shortly. "You're just sore, and irritable. And probably hungry, too. You slept a few hours."

Right on cue, Joey's stomach rumbled. Kaiba smirked victoriously. "I'll go get something." He returned only minutes later with a bowl of soup.

"What, the great Seto Kaiba who owns a company and lives in a mansion can't come up with something better than soup?"

Kaiba snorted. "What did you expect, oysters and caviar? I eat just like everyone else. Besides, you can't hide it. Anything heavier than soup and you'd only throw it right back up. Your stomach won't be able to keep down anything too solid for another couple of days at least - I'm surprised you managed to keep down the coffee."

Kaiba pulled a chair from the corner of the room to the bedside and sat, his laptop appearing as if magically out of nowhere. Not looking back at Joey, Kaiba began typing.

"Um..."

"What?" said Kaiba, not looking up.

"What are you doing?"

"Working." His fingers didn't slow.

"You know what I mean!"

Kaiba sighed, finally looking a him in the eye. "Making sure you eat and keep the food down. You're too skinny. Happy?"

Joey was tempted to pout, but the steam rising from the bowl of soup and the subtle, sweet smell won out. His head felt clearer by the time he was done, although the pain throughout his body remained, a reminder of the morning past.

"I'm done."

"Fine. Just put the bowl on the bedside table; I'll deal with it later."

"Kaiba?"

"Mm."

"When you helped me out earlier, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking you looked like a stray dog."

"Kaiba! Very funny."

The brunette ceased typing and closed his laptop. "It is, actually. But I was also thinking you looked like you needed a hand. All I happened to do was be in the right place at the right time. Or the wrong place at the wrong time, however you want to put it."

"I thought the great Seto Kaiba didn't help out with that kind of thing."

Kaiba rose an eyebrow. "'The great Seto Kaiba', as you so eloquently put it, just so happens to single-handedly run a company as well as go about living a relatively everyday life - school, homework, siblings - you get the idea. Whatever ideas you had or have of me as being some sort of evil genius are not exactly realistic." His voice held a note of sarcasm. "Although obviously, I am a great deal smarter than the average person", he finished.

"... You're a weirdo, you know that?"

"I'd far rather be a weirdo than some completely average human, running around and leading an utterly dull and predictable life."

"So you think I'm boring."

"I didn't say that."

"Sounded like you just did. I'm hurt, Kaiba." The words were only half-meant as a joke.

"No, you're just putting words into my mouth. Don't go blaming others for your hurt feelings if they're only based on your own ideas of others in the first place." He shrugged again, as if the conversation meant nothing. "You're projecting."

"Hmph." Faced with no immediate come-back, Joey settled for a dirty look aimed in Kaiba's direction. It was missed by Kaiba, however, as he looked at his watch.

"It's just gone three. Mokuba should be back any-"

"Big brother!!"

There was a loud stomping sound. Joey wondered for a moment if Kaiba could possibly be keeping an elephant on the property before the sound neared the room and a face with black tousled hair and large eyes peered through the door.

"Seto!"

"Mokuba. I've told you before about making so much noise-"

"Hey! Is that Joey?" Mokuba ignored his older brother's comment and stared at the blonde instead, his eyes widening. "Wow, you're here. And I thought big brother hated you."

"Funny, so did I", Joey muttered to himself. Kaiba narrowed his eyes dangerously, but Mokuba only laughed, seeing the look. "Don't be such a grump, Seto. We're only kidding."

"Is that so."

"What's he doing here? And how did he get hurt? Geez, it looks like he's been in a fist fight or something. And Seto, can I get something to eat, I'm _hungry._"

"He's here because I brought him here, and funnily enough he was, I gather, in some sort of a fist fight. And yes, you can get some food. There's cookies on the bench for you." Kaiba spoke routinely, giving Joey the impression that a hyperactive Mokuba was perhaps a daily occurrence. "I'm sure you've got homework to do, Mokuba. No more questions now, doctor's orders. Joey needs rest."

Mokuba only grinned. "Doctor Regan was here? He told you off again!"

Kaiba pointed towards the door. "Out." Mokuba directed a last cheeky grin at Kaiba before running off.

The room seemed almost too quiet once Mokuba had left, although Joey distinctly heard Mokuba talking to someone once he had stomped upstairs, just as loudly as he had entered.

"... Hey. Kaiba?"

"What now?"

Joey was hesitant. "Are... you gonna ask what happened?"

"No."

"Oh. Most people... you know, they keep asking questions."

"Well, I'm not most people. You'll tell me if you want. I believe in privacy; you can bottle things up as much as you like for all I care. I won't try to make you say what you think or how you feel like some stupid therapist. There's the school councillors for that." Kaiba spoke without expression, but Joey thought he saw the hint of a smile there, if only for a moment.

Joey sat up with some difficulty, ignoring Kaiba's frown. "How long do I have to stay here?"

"Until Doctor Phillip says you can go, I suppose. And on that note, you shouldn't be sitting up. Puts too much stress on your injuries."

"When will that be?"

"Depends. Your ribs will take a couple of months to heal fully."

"I can't stay here for that long!"

Kaiba sighed, exasperated. "Clearly. You can leave when you're capable of looking after yourself."

"Well, how long-"

"Days, weeks, who knows. Longer if you don't hurry up and lie down again. Now shut up. You're giving me a headache."

Joey shut up long enough for Kaiba to leave and come back again with some painkillers. "Here."

Joey took them without a word.

"When I said shut up, I didn't mean you couldn't talk. Just... stop pestering me with questions."

"Yeah."

Kaiba sighed, reaching for his cellphone. "You could always be moved to a hospital or something. If you don't like being here. It shouldn't set you back too much, may even help if it causes less stress. It could be easier on both of us if-"

"No." The word came out of Joey's mouth so automatically that for a moment he wondered if he had said it at all. But Kaiba was holding his gaze and had not dialled any number.

"No?"

"That is... you know, I can be annoying, I know that. And I probably still will be. But I don't want to leave."

"..."

"... Uh, please?"

"Fine. You take it, then." Kaiba tossed him the phone.

"Huh?"

"It's after school. You should call someone."

Joey shook his head, passing the phone back. "I'll call Yugi later on, tonight. I don't need to call anyone now."

"You live with your father, do you not?"

"Yeah. It's fine."

Kaiba kept his expression neutral, curious but not entirely surprised at Joey's brief answers. "Whatever", he shrugged, choosing not to comment further. "Get some more sleep then. I'll wake you up for dinner."

_**To be continued.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Joey bit down his frustration at needing help with every little thing; meals, medication, even the most basic things that he had at first felt embarrassed about - the first time Kaiba had needed to support him just so that Joey could walk to the bathroom was awkward, to say the least. Still (and Joey was very grateful), Kaiba never complained, going about whatever needed to be done with an air of rigid determination. The blonde was careful to ask only for what was essential. To say that he was afraid of Kaiba would be wrong, but he was nonetheless cautious, aware that Kaiba had a business to run on top of everything. He had not been to school in three days (although whether this was a source of pleasure or frustration for Kaiba, Joey remained unsure).

"I... think I need a bath", said Joey that night. His hair felt lank and a more than a little greasy, and he desperately wanted the chance to relax; the idea of just being able to lie comfortably in a bathtub enticed him more than he cared to admit.

Kaiba, naturally, did not bat an eyelid. "All right", he said, closing the thick book he had been absorbed in. "After dinner?"

"Sure."

Still unable to walk without assistance, Joey was escorted to the bathroom an hour later. Seeing the bathroom that seemingly stretched for miles, Joey immediately saw the plus side of owning a mansion. The water lapped gentle against the sides of the tub; Joey saw that it would be large enough for even a taller person to stretch out fully, and grinned in pure delight. Kaiba had placed a chair right by the bath, and it was here that he guided Joey.

"All right. There should be everything you need here, and you should also be okay to get from the chair to the bath, and vise versa. Call me when you're done and I'll walk you back to the bedroom, got it?"

"Sure", Joey said distractedly, mesmerized by the water. Kaiba shook his head bemusedly and left, shutting the door firmly behind him. Joey waited until he could no longer hear the fading footsteps before removing his clothes and slipping into the water. He sighed blissfully, already feeling the tension lessen. The water temperature was perfect; everything was perfect. Joey took a deep breath, feeling the pain on his side but taking pleasure in the fact that it was no longer so acute. The bruises too were very slowly fading, and for the first time since he had come Joey felt that he was finally beginning to really heal.

He simply relaxed and enjoyed for sensations for a while before reaching for the shampoo and then the soap, wincing only a couple of times as his hands passed over the bruises. It felt good to be clean, though, and for the most part Joey was able to forget that the whole incident had ever happened at all.

The water was starting to cool when Joey eventually got out of the bath, moving slowly and carefully to the chair, taking care not to slip on the smooth bath surface. He sat and dried himself with the towel that Kaiba had left for him, putting on his clothes. They too were clean again, having been washed for him the day before. Finally, Joey reached over to pull out the bath plug and warily stood. He felt tired but not very sore at all, and the idea struck that perhaps he could at least walk back to the bedroom on his own. It was only a short trip; the bedroom, although not linking straight to the bathroom, was only a very small walk down the corridor. Joey listened, and faintly heard Kaiba from somewhere else in the house talking with Mokuba. That decided it. Sick of needing to have everything done for him, Joey took a careful few steps towards the door, ready to stop in case his left side bothered him too much. There seemed nothing wrong at all, however - on the contrary, Joey felt better than he had since arriving. Gaining confidence, he took another step, and another. It was just before he came to the door that the inevitable finally occurred. The floor was smooth, with nothing for him to keep a firm grip on, and Joey's feet were still wet. He lost his balance before he was able to reach for the door-handle, and was only vaguely aware of a sharp, almost cracking sound as his head hit the floor.

Kaiba found him there only a few minutes later, having knocked at the door and receiving no answer. Joey awoke when he felt the slap across his face, and looked into blue eyes that were now anything but icy. They blazed with a kind of fire that made Kaiba look angrier than Joey had ever seen him.

"_What the hell were you doing?_"

His voice came out in a hiss. Joey blinked, trying to focus and clear his head. When he didn't answer, Kaiba struck him across the face again, hard, this time unable to keep from yelling. "I said what the hell were you doing! I told you to call me! Why the fuck didn't you call me?"

Joey didn't have any good answers to that question. "I just wanted to see if I could..."

Still furious, Kaiba shook him by the shoulders. "You're an idiot! You could have gotten yourself killed! Do you not understand that?!"

Joey put a hand up to his cheek, feeling the burning sensation. "You hit me."

There was a tense silence while Kaiba attempted to bring his temper back under his control. Joey couldn't bring himself to look Kaiba in the face, now afraid of what he would see there.

"Get up. Now." Kaiba stood from where he had been crouching and put out his arm for Joey to take. When Joey did not take it, Kaiba pulled Joey up from the ground by himself, making sure to support Joey properly. The blonde himself felt sick, and although his eyesight was back again fully, he felt unsteady on his feet, almost exactly as he had the morning he had come to the mansion. Nauseated, he allowed Kaiba to walk him back along the corridor (such a short walk) and into the bedroom where he was laid back on the bed. Kaiba was gentle now, although Joey was sure that under the mask he was seething. He avoided eye contact, choosing instead to direct his sight at the wall.

There was another silence, and a sigh. "I'm sorry I hit you. I was angry. It will not happen again."

"Yeah."

"I need to look at your head and back, make sure there's no problems from the fall. Roll over."

Joey did so, not speaking while Kaiba ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the bump that had resulted from the incident. He checked Joey's shoulders and back, and found nothing beyond the older injuries. He sighed again, perhaps in relief or perhaps still trying to calm himself down. "Everything seems to be fine. You were lucky."

Joey said nothing.

"Look at me."

"No." Joey closed his eyes, unsure of what it was he was feeling but knowing only that he didn't like it one bit. He supposed he should have been angry at Kaiba for hitting him like that, but knew also that whatever the feeling was that built up in his chest, it was not anger.

"I said, _look at me._" Unable to do otherwise, Joey turned his head to face Kaiba. His eyes, Joey noticed, were still not as dispassionate as he was used to. "Good", Kaiba continued. "Now. Listen very carefully, because I will not repeat myself and I will certainly not be responsible for whatever idiotic thing you decide to do next if you don't. Do _not_ pull a stunt like that again, do you understand? I wasn't joking when I said you could have been killed, so you would be wise to take what happened seriously. If you don't like asking for my help, tough. You're going to have to get over it, because like it or not you're in my care."

"Kaiba, I-"

"Shut up, I haven't finished. I _am_ sorry that I hit you, and I can promise that I won't lose my temper like that with you again. But if you do something like that a second time..."

Kaiba didn't finish the sentence, and Joey didn't ask. He had no doubt, Kaiba would make him sorry. Already he regretted having ever acted on the idea - looking back, he saw how foolish it had been.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. We won't talk about it again, although I do have an obligation to mention it to the doctor. As nothing seems wrong, I won't call him now. I'll have him visit tomorrow."

"Kaiba."

"What?"

"I know it was stupid. But the reason hasn't changed. I feel... even more stupid, having to ask whenever I need the smallest thing. So I need to know. When can I start doing things for myself again?"

"I honestly don't know. You fell because you lost your balance, not because of the injury itself, correct?"

Joey nodded.

"Well then, it seems you're healing quickly. Although everything will take weeks, possibly months, to completely heal, I imagine you'll be able to take care of yourself very shortly. A couple of days, even."

"And then I can go home..." Joey mused to himself. "I did ring Dad today. Told him I didn't know when I'd be back.

"Did you tell him where you were?"

"I said I was staying at a friend's house. I stay over at Yugi's all the time - he probably thinks I'm there."

"I see. So you'll go back there when the doctor gives you permission to leave?"

"Guess so." Joey shifted uncomfortably, not especially liking the turn of conversation. "Why?"

"I'll be blunt, Joey. I know where you live, and with whom. I have to wonder whether it's a good idea to go back so soon."

Joey fought to keep his own voice as calm. "No offence Kaiba, but it's not any of your business."

"Unfortunately it is, for now. I don't like sticking my nose into other peoples' private lives, but this I will say. It will do you no good to back just yet. And although I can understand perfectly why you would not wish to remain here, I don't understand your compulsion to go home."

"What do you think you know about me?" Despite himself, Joey was angry.

"I know it's not exactly the most gentle neighborhood. I know that you live with a man whose life revolves around his drink, and I've known this for a while. I also know that when I found you three days ago, you weren't too far from the neighborhood either. That alone would be cause for my concern. I know that before you met Yugi, you were involved, either directly or indirectly, in some sort of gang - that being the most likely reason why I found you in such a state."

Joey's anger left as quickly as it had come. He only felt defeated now, and tired most of all. The nausea had gone but had left a deep exhaustion in its place. "Dad was never the same after Mum left", he said, hardly aware of his voice. It seemed far away, indistinct. "But it's home, no matter what. People think it's a rough neighborhood, like you said. It is. But that's home, too. You can't just replace that. And I know how to take care of myself. I grew up learning. That's just how it is..." He felt rather than heard his voice getting weaker.

"Nonetheless. I recommend you stay a while longer."

"You recommend, or you refuse to let me leave?"

Kaiba rubbed his own eyes wearily. "You're no prisoner here. If you really want to leave, I won't stop you."

Sleep came quickly then, like a numbing dark. "I'll stay", Joey heard himself say before giving into it, closing his eyes. Kaiba watched him for a moment, making sure he slept peacefully before walking silently out. Mokuba stood outside the door.

Unabashed that his older brother had caught him eavesdropping, Mokuba stared at him solemnly. "If he had wanted to leave, would you really have just let him go?" he demanded.

Kaiba shrugged. "Probably not", he admitted. "I need a rest. Tell Sarah to check in on him from time to time, would you?" He retired upstairs to his own room, and slept.

_**To be continued.**_


	4. Chapter 4

The doctor flashed a light in Joey's eyes, making him wince out of reflex.

"A bit late to check for concussion, I know, but just to be sure..." He shrugged. "You seem to be fine. Other than the bump on your head, you got off remarkably well once again. I would be remiss in my duties, however, if I didn't warn you about being careless about this sort of the thing in the future..." His voice trailed off in warning.

"He knows", came Kaiba's voice from out in the corridor. "In no uncertain terms."

Joey couldn't quite keep the red from his face, and the doctor raised an eyebrow. "I have no doubt", he said dryly, packing up his bag. "Well, it seems you're cleared", this directed at Joey.

"Cleared? You mean...?"

"Bed rest still recommended", he said firmly. "And I'm afraid you'll be sore for some while - these things take time. But you seem to be healing quite nicely, and you should have no further need of me unless complications occur, in which case Mr. Kaiba will be responsible for letting me know."

"So I can go home..."

"Give it another day in order to get your strength up. After that, assuming you feel up to it, you can go. Unless of course, Mr. Kaiba, you believe otherwise? You've had closer contact with the patient than I."

"... No. Joey is healing well."

"Well. That's settled then." He handed Joey a packet of painkillers. "Take only one of these if needs be, if and when strong pain occurs - they are the same painkillers you've already been taking, but use them responsibly; follow the instructions on the back, please. And now I must take my leave. Joey. Mr. Kaiba." He left without further comment, shutting the bedroom door behind him. Kaiba waited until he heard the front door close before speaking.

"Happy? One more day - you can take it."

"Course I can... geez, it's not as if I hate you or anything."

"No? I wondered, for a little."

"Your an idiot, then."

"Is that so."

"Hey, Kaiba? You hesitated for a sec before answering."

Kaiba didn't bother to hide it. "I did."

"Why? I can look after myself."

"Which is why I said yes instead of no."

"Still, you did hesitate."

"That doesn't necessarily indicate that I don't believe you can take care of yourself. You've done so very well up until now as far as I'm aware."

"Yeah, well-"

And then Kaiba was suddenly kissing him, leaning over the bed and actually_ kissing_ him like it was some trashy romance novel, Joey couldn't help with think. He also couldn't help but think that the novels had it wrong, or at least the one he had swiped off Téa to skim through that one time. Time didn't stop, or even slow down, and all coherent thought was definitely not swept out of Joey's mind. On the contrary, everything gained some sort of added clarity as, on the spur of the moment and just as Kaiba's shoulders were stiffening, Joey started kissed right back. The moment didn't last very long; only just long enough for Joey to catch a hint of the taste, cool and sharp. At least, when they broke up, there were no awkward silences. Kaiba himself looked remarkably and supremely unruffled, as if he had it all entirely worked out (and indeed, thought Joey suspiciously, he might well have).

"This isn't all what it seems, you know", Kaiba said quickly, indicating where Joey was lying. "I am not the idealistic hero, or even the anti-hero making amends."

Joey couldn't help but snort at that. "And what would I be, the damsel in distress?"

Kaiba looked at him, seeing the lively brown eyes and sleep-mussed hair that made him look scruffier than ever. He smirked. "Not quite", he said.

"... So what are we now?"

Kaiba looked at him as if it was perfectly obvious. "The same as before. I certainly don't see why a kiss should change everything."

"Something's changed", Joey argued. "It _must_ have."

"Of course. But it wasn't the kiss. It was only action following form."

"Whatever that means."

"It means", said Kaiba, standing up, "that kissing you is not something that changes whatever it is we have. It's only a result."

"Well, what do we have, then?"

"If I knew that, I likely wouldn't have kissed you in the first place", Kaiba said simply. He looked like he was about to leave, so Joey thought quickly.

"Friends?" he asked.

Kaiba almost looked taken aback at that. "I don't know if I'd go that far."

"Me neither. Just not enemies, then."

"For lack of a better explanation, that's exactly what I would call it. Now I have to go."

"Where?"

"School. I've stayed away as long as I legitimately can. Call for Sarah if you need anything, and try to sleep; it's the best thing for you. If you're not here by the time I get back..."

Joey thought that if Kaiba were anyone else, he would have made a threatening gesture. As it was he just shrugged, and Joey waved the comment away. "I get it, I get it. I'm not going anywhere."

"Good." Kaiba swept out of the room. He had his trenchcoat on again. Idly, Joey thought about school and grinned. His friends, he knew, would be all over Kaiba the second he arrived, bombing him with questions since they knew where Joey now was. Somehow, he thought Kaiba's new-found kindness wouldn't extend to anyone else. He would have warned the CEO, but figured that Kaiba was able to look after himself as well. He would try to keep a straight face when Kaiba came home.

Joey was preparing himself for another boring day when the maid came in, peeking her head around the corner shyly. "Is there anything I can do for you, sir?"

Joey grinned, glad to have some company that wouldn't involve constant verbal sparring. "Hey there... Sarah, right? Are you real busy?"

"Yes, sir." She walked up to the bed. "And no, I'm not too busy. Why is that?"

"Ah, just Joey's fine. I was just wondering if you wanted to talk with me a bit. Doesn't it get boring around here?"

"Not really, s- Joey. I'm usually kept pretty busy."

Joey looked at her properly. From what Kaiba had told him, Joey knew that Sarah was the head maid at the mansion, hired exclusively by Kaiba to do most of the cleaning. Still, she didn't look worn out in the least - she looked cheerful in fact, plump and pretty in her dark blue uniform. "You clean all the mansion by yourself?"

"There's me and one other. I do most of the cleaning but get weekends off - that's when Laura comes in. And there's one cook, but he only comes in sometimes. Mr. Kaiba doesn't like lots of people around him, he prefers to do a lot of the work for himself. It's only on account of the size of the place that he hired staff to help him out."

"But still... big place. Must take you a long time."

"Oh, it does." Sarah spoke more confidently now, overcoming her shyness. "But I've got all day - I get paid on a lump sum instead of by hour, so as long as I get everything done it doesn't matter how quickly or slowly I do it. Mr. Kaiba is actually a very considerate person, you know." Her voice gained a chatty quality and Joey sat up, interested.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he could've offered to pay me far less than he did and I still would've taken the job in the situation I was in - and he knew it, too; I know he did a background check on me before I even showed up for the interview. I'm a single mother, you see, and I needed the money. I'm only a cleaner, but Mr. Kaiba pays me very generously. And for another thing, Alan - that's my son - is only a year younger than Mokuba. It was Mr. Kaiba who suggested that Alan come here after school until I'm done for the day, so that I wouldn't have to worry about hiring a babysitter for him. It all works out very well."

Joey nodded, thinking. "Sarah... what did you think of Kaiba before you started working for him?"

"I didn't know much about him at all... for a businessman he can be quite a recluse", Sarah giggled, seeming very young at that moment. "I was really nervous when I applied for the job here - I'd heard all sorts of rumors about Mr. Kaiba, as you can imagine. I think I was even shaking at one point. But Mr. Kaiba was quite kind, and hired me right after he spoke with me. He said he wouldn't tolerate any careless work from me, but at that point I needed the money and was determined to do a good job. And I've been here over two years now", Sarah finished proudly.

"I see. It all worked out for you then. But isn't Kaiba... you know, cold sometimes?"

"Well of course. I guess that's practically part of the job description for running such a large business, he doesn't really have the time to chat. Mr. Kaiba can be very brisk sometimes, and often he's in such a rush to get things done that he doesn't give me so much as a nod in passing. But I know he thinks I do a good job, since otherwise I'd be long gone. There's no doubt in my mind that if Mr. Kaiba disliked me, I'd definitely know it!" She giggled again, and blushed slightly as if feeling guilty about the gossip she was sharing. "I should really go now... I try to get things done quickly, but I haven't even started on the day's work yet. Do you want anything before I go?"

At Joey's request, he was escorted to the lounge and onto the couch, glad that he no longer needed he real support from another person in order to walk. The television on in front of him, Joey knew he was set for the day.

Kaiba found him there some time later, sprawled out and sleeping after hours of movie watching (and Joey couldn't help but be impressed at the selection). It was Mokuba, however, who woke him up. "You're missing the good bit!" Joey yelped at sat up in a hurry, eyes blurry but not quite missing the smirk Kaiba sent his way.

"Well well, you get a few days off and still the dog is caught sleeping on the job... even if the job happens to be movie watching."

The comment was not meant with malice. Nonetheless, Joey bit back out of habit. "Shut your face, Kaiba. It's not like I had anything else to do. For a mansion this place is pretty boring, you know."

Kaiba didn't bother answering, only gave another trademark smile and approached the couch. "We can leave now if you want."

The statement came too fast for Joey to see it coming. "Leave. As in, now? Go home?"

He watched Joey's face carefully, seeing the hesitation there plain as daylight. "Or", he said before Joey could summon a coherent answer, "you could stay here another night and I'll give you a lift to school tomorrow morning. Your call."

He walked off, not waiting for an answer.

"Kaiba! I'll go with you tomorrow!" Joey had to yell it at Kaiba's retreating back by the time he had found his voice. Kaiba didn't say anything back. But then, thought Joey, only a little annoyed, Kaiba probably already knew what Joey was going to say anyway. He was just insufferable like that.

_**To be continued.**_


	5. Epilogue

Joey never thought he'd say it, but eating cafeteria food after days of being stuck on a mostly liquid diet was heaven. He deftly maneuvered his way with the tray to the table, seating himself beside Yugi. Everyone had of course immediately interrogated him for information, asking questions which Joey answered to the best of his ability. He thought he did quite well, especially considering he was pretty sure Kaiba was listening in from where had been sitting a few desks away. Concerned as always, Yugi had asked Joey if he was sure he should be at school when he still had a fever - seeing as his face was still a bit red. Joey had done his best to reassure his friend and had adamantly refused to look to his left, sure that Kaiba would be smirking at that particular moment.

Now, after trying and giving up on catching up with class notes, after a couple of classes wondering if he could sleep without the teacher noticing, after deciding that the cafeteria food would probably lose its novelty again very quickly, it was like Joey had never been away; like nothing had changed at all.

Only Kaiba was waiting for him at the end of the day, looking very tall and imposing in his trademark trenchcoat standing by the car, and all at once Joey knew that everything had changed, even if nobody else had seemed to notice.

"Avoiding my eye all day?"

Joey met Kaiba's eyes then, and shrugged. "I didn't know what you wanted the story to be."

"Story?"

"Yeah. You know. About us."

Kaiba stepped into the car, resisting the childish temptation to roll his eyes. "It isn't as if this has never happened before with anyone - you don't need to treat it like it's the end of the world. If you want to tell your friends what happened, then tell them. It makes no difference to me."

"Aren't you worried about your reputation or something, if this gets out?"

"First off, if we start to get serious - and believe me, if we do it won't be for a while - it's going to get out anyway, and there's very little I can do about that. And secondly, if you don't think your friends can keep a secret then I don't understand why you consider them your friends friends at all."

"I guess you're right..."

"Of course I'm right." Kaiba drove as he did everything else, calm and controlled. Nothing seemed to really rattle him, and while that fact might have once only made Joey angry, he realised that it was now in some way a source of comfort. 'Friendly' wasn't a word that Joey would ever associate with Kaiba, but Joey thought 'reliable' would probably fit well in it's place. 'Stable' would, too. The list that Joey compiled in his head consisted of all the things that he himself was not. He sighed, and decided that this was the making of a relationship that would either be really good, or resoundingly horrible.

He quickly shoved the thought out of his mind, knowing that he would just have to deal with that when they got there.

"We're here."

"Wha-"

"I said we're here. At your place."

"...Oh. Right."

Suddenly, it occurred to Joey that this was it. He wouldn't be spending the night at Kaiba's tonight; it would be back to his own house from now on. The awareness came with mixed reactions. Joey tried and probably failed to keep them from showing on his face as he got out of the car and tried the door handle of the house. Locked, of course - his father wouldn't be back from work for a while yet. Joey slowly got out his key.

"Well. I guess this is it then..."

Kaiba couldn't possibly miss the note in his voice. "Don't be ridiculous", he almost snapped. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow at school, you know."

"Oh yeah..." It didn't seem so bad, then. In the spirit of the moment, Joey turned before going into the house. "Hey, Kaiba. I know we're not, you know, _together_ or anything. But things have definitely changed, even you said so. I was thinking though, that even if they have, I don't have to start calling you by your first name or anything do I? That'd just be plain weird after calling you Kaiba for so long..."

"Fine by me. Only Mokuba calls me by my first name anyway. One condition, though."

"What's that?"

"I still get to do the dog jokes."

It was, perhaps, a testament to how much had rally changed between them that Joey had to think about that for only a moment. "Yeah, okay, Fine."

And as Kaiba drove off in his car and disappeared beyond the corner, Joey wondered if Kaiba had ever really meant anything by the dog jokes in the first place.

It would, no doubt, be a very interesting next few weeks.

_**Fin.**_

_**Reviews appreciated.**_


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